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Discussion starter · #21 ·
i have nothing to add, but are you by chance the JM from over at cowboy seven?
Oops... Busted.

Hey, I've read your posts.

I'll bet these guys have given you a hard time about not using a BBC in your Chevelle.:D

Hey Kirkwoodken. I already have a crank. One of those Scat cast steel 6" rod, internal balance cranks. Standard stroke.

Those KB pistons you're talking about. Are they forged or hyper?
 
JM: Yes, mine are hyper. I have a 7000 rpm NA "street" motor. Don't really need forged pistons. Hypers are quiet, hard as a goats head, KB's have generous valve reliefs, lots of information on their web site. A lot of people have had trouble with them, I haven't.

I don't think SCAT made that crank when I built my engine. I started on it in '88. I'm using a stocker. Some of them break, some of them don't. If I were rebuilding, I would go with SCAT stuff. Good enough for 600 HP. More than I'll ever make with my freaky FI.

I just got Harold's 501C2LUN (the old R10-R15 Ultradyne, Harold's favorite cam) installed today after it sat in the garage for a year. Can't wait till that is running again.

Some general advice: If you find working on things frustrating, NEVER install a Rev Kit on any engine you own. I've been putting this off for a year because the kits are such a pain. The good news is everything looks good, so the kit goes back in.
 
Has anyone here read about or experimented with SOMENDER-SINGH grooves?

Interesting concept. I'm trying to decide if I should try it out or not.:D

Here's a link to some interesting reading. http://somender-singh.com/

I have used the grooves on a few engines now, both SBC and Ford V8s. I have found they idle cleaner and smoother, require less timing and have no detonation issues despite being high in static comp. They also sound a bit sharper. I don't think they make any more HP but they definately tame a lumpy idle.

JMHO
 
Oops... Busted.

Hey, I've read your posts.

I'll bet these guys have given you a hard time about not using a BBC in your Chevelle.:D
haven't been give a hard time about the swap yet....we will see when i get it running and post up with some track times.
small world on the internet........

hmmmmm, Cadillacs.
:thumbsup:
 
Go 406 and don't look back. Vizzard has hyped them up a lot and made some claims about some of them being able to go .080 over; but don't chance that move. I think that story might be like the 327's that can go .125 over. I have heared a lot of storys, even heard of people owning them; but can't give anyone to give me a casting number or show me one.

On a 400, the two bolt it what you want. The factory 4 bolt G.M. blocks be it 350 or 400 do not have a lot of material available for the outer bolts to mate to. On a 400 it is even worse due to the fact that the main bore is larger and the outer bolts are moved into a zone that is thin.

If you put a good set of splayed caps on, plug the deck, and build a cup style steam manifold, that factory block can take a lot. Ad some block hard and it is even better. As said above Machine shop is key.

As for the KB hyper pistons. I do not personaly use them if I am the one paying for the engine. They may work great for some applications; but I would not be building a 406 to drive to work. To me using a Hyper piston to save a few coins or avoid some piston sound on start-up is like saving money by not investing in a reserve chute or wanting to wear one cause it is not convienient all bunched up on your belly. You may never need it; but if you do, it is there. Once you see what can and does happen in either case, the decision becomes easy.
 
It's hardly a good comparison, but I've been pretty darn happy with the boat anchor sb400 (mine had to go .040 to be saved) I built for my '69 pickup. It has the small truck heads and a torque cam and it's run like a champ for 20k miles without any major problems. I went somewhat budget with Chevy 5.7 rods and cast pistons and a stock Chevy crank turned .010 under. I recently had the pan off to fix a major oil leak and it looked great inside. This thing would pull stumps and would be downright dangerous in a lighter vehicle.

If I didn't want to maintain reliability above all and didn't demand that it be able to pull 6000+ pounds when taking the Chevelle to distant shows, I'd probably replace the small truck heads with some nice aluminum heads and a real cam and it would be downright fun.

Go the 406 route and just make sure you get the right head gaskets and that you drill your 64cc heads for the required 400 steam holes. 64cc heads have a tendancy to crack between the exhaust and the spark plug or between the exhaust and the intake, so make sure to have them magnafluxed before you just throw them on, especially if they are 2.02/1.60 valve heads.
 
406 was the right choice for me. mine is a two bolt, scat crank, AFR 195's, solid flat tappet, rpm air gap. it's been a great motor and i've never had problems with it since rebuild 20,000 miles ago, though i only ever spin it to 6000.
 
I vote 406. I've had many over the years, and I believe the a 400 2-bolt splayed block is one of the best platforms for all around performance. That being said, all things being equal, the difference between a properly built 406 and 383 is about one tenth in the quarter. I just happen to error on the side of cubes based on personal preference.

Jim
That is exactly what I gained going from 388 to 410. About 1/10th. Same cam similar heads, same car, converter, etc. My power is at a slightly lower RPM with the 410.

I would go 406, you already have the parts. Heads are a little small though.

Like someone else said, get the machine work done by someone that knows what they are doing with a 400.
 
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